Catoctin clarion. [volume] (Mechanicstown, Md.) 1871-1940, 1887-11-03
WATERS IN ST. LOUIS.
ENTERPRlSING METHODS OF kMBT
TlOUS KNIGHTS OF THE NAPKIN.

Graduates Of Oxford and Foreign Noble.
mon Who Wash Dishes, Wait at Table
and Pocket big Foes-A Frntcrnal Or.
Eanizntion.
"You would be surprised, SIR" remarked
the head waiter of leading hotel to a re.
porter, "to find the sors of people who pre-
sent themselves to us head walters for posi-.
tions. You couldn't tell some of them from,
real gentlemen, they are SO handsome and
polished in their MANNERS. Only the other
day n man presented himself at the door of
the dining room. He was tall, stout, finely
formed, and as dignfied as prince. Ibowed
as he approached and was about to conduct
him to a seat at one Of the tables, for was
convinced that he was a foreign nobleman.
Are you the head waiterT he asked. i am,
sir replied; pray, of what service can bo
to y"uf Give me position, said he. lam
a waiter, and come from Saratoga
~ would have been more surprised than
was if had not often had applications from
men Of similar bearing"
"Did you employ the fellow1'
"Oh, certainly, and All exceptionally good
waiter he has turned out. He il in demand
all over the dining room, and the ladies are
particularly fond of having him wait upon
them. He is graduate of Oxford university,
and talks Greek with the Auency of an Athe-
nian. We have Greek scholars in the house
---one Of them Il professor-and l have been
told that his Greek and Latin are unusually
fine. One night he gave the help in the hotel
n reading and one of his selections was a
chapter of Virgil. He was applauded so Wig
orously for this that 1 questioned my men
concerning their knowledge of Latin and was
surprised to find that quite a number Of
them were acquainted with the dead Ian
guages. Nearly all of my men speak French
and German, and those of them who have not
received good schooling are in the minority.
"You must know that there is no trade Or
ganization so compact and fraternal as that
of the hotel walters. They are good hearted
fellows, as a rule, and will never see one of
their kind want for anything that they can
supply. Those in position supply those who
nre out of it, and nobody is u whit the wiser.
Masonry itself is outdone by their regard for
this rule of duty"
"Are the unemployed waters who are here
now supported in this way:'
"They nre mostly Nearly all of the recent
arrivals came here too soon, and whatever
they brought with them quickly disappeared.
Their condition was made known to the other
walters at once, and the latter supplied them
with means to secure lodging and enough
change to keep them alive"
"How much does it cost to keep an unem-
ployed waiter alive and cheerfulT
"Very little. if the men are fly and they
generally are. A smart man whose room
rent has been paid can live gloriously OIL ten
cents day. There are saloons in this city,
both north and south, which supply an il
o'clock lunch fit for any mans meal. In the
bill of fare are two or three kinds Of hot
meat, potatoes fried, stewed and in sand
form, tomatoes, chicken croquettes, cold
slaw, pickles. bread, mustard beets, etc. All
man need do to entitle him to a hack at
this magnificent hungry mans banquet i, to
purchase ono glass of beer"
"But man can't have much fun on Une
meal n day, can her
"Hc doesn't need to confne himself to o,e
meal. He has still five cents left, and with
this he can purchase ono beer later on.
"The unemployed napkin artists now in the
city, attracted by the exposition and its 80
companying festivities, are certainly sorry
looking lot, Notwithstanding their sumptuoNs
living. Their coats are threadbare, ani
their toes, when not peeping forth from their
boots, nro struggling to get there Despite
the fraternal care with which their more for
tunate co-laborers regard them, they are not
nppetizing to look upon. But onc-half at
least, OF these will be shortly engaged to
help out at the leading hotels. Few will be
able to recognize in The smooth shaven model
in boiled shirt, spotless cravat, real cuffs and
cutaway, the wretch who is today haunting
the free lunch counters, graSping at whatever
comes within range Of his watery vision.
There isn't labor union in the country
that takes half the care of its own that the
walters do Of theirs. Occasionally they are
economical and put their earnings away, but
the great majority spend freely and give
away what .they can't spend. Like most
people in their walk of life, they are imita-
tive, and the conversation Of guests at table
Is rarely lost upon them a first class waiter
can listen without appearing to, but he misses
little that is worth reniem berng. Often
when we have had distinguished guests at
table, have heard their speeches rehearsed
and dissected in the kitchen. Sometimes |
have heard the argument of prominent
statesman torn to shrels by the fellow who
was waiting to fill his order behind the
screen"
"Ivhere do most of your walters come
fromi'
"Thcy come mostly from Europe. although
it is only once in n while we get one direc.
from abroad here in ST. Louis. The first stop
ping place for walters is New York, but they
are Il rowing set ard can't rest even there
AS soon rs they begin to hear Of the glorious
west they take off their aprons and start
Sometimes they come west in seepers and
sometimes in box cars, but they get here just
the same. Once in a while a man comes
along and asks for work who has seen better
days Among these are nobemen and col
lese graduates. They may have had plenty
OF money when they reached the west and
spent it i'll high living; then their remit
tailces fail to materialize and they are on
their uppers. These men make splendid
walters, but they have to begin as dish wash
ers and get accustomed to stepping around
lively before they are intrusted with table.
Still, when they get there they always give
satisfaction. They appreciate the Importance
Of scrupulous cleanliness, and are invariably
polite without betraying too much humility.
II have a man under me who is such cor
rect judge Of character that he can tell al
most to a nickel often, and sometimes to a
cent, what the amount Of his tip will be. He
COW size a man up like u flash, and he does 1t
without giving offense either. l have seen
gentlemen upon whom he had waited rise
from the table with 10 intention of paying
him anything, and yet he would draw their
chairs so deftly away and inquiries so earnestly
IL they had enjoyed their meal and whether
he couldn't help them to some little extra
tbcacy, that they have put their hands in
their pockets and feed him well. st. Louis
Globe Democrat.
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